Sacrifices of Love
by mabelreid
Summary: Just days before Halloween the team is called to North Carolina to investigate the deaths of several young men.  The fact that they all happen to closely resemble Reid is the least of their worries. Case Fic
1. Prologue

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**_Prologue_**

He opened his eyes to chanting. Smoke eddied around his head as the voice rose above him, carrying it to the heavens and beyond. Light, golden and fluttering surrounded him. His head ached and thumped as though he'd been out drinking. But he hadn't, had he? He turned his head and his neck screamed in agony. Or was the scream from his lips and lungs?

Blackness cavorted with the wavering light around him, shadow and light fighting each other for dominance as the voice continued to rise in a language that he didn't recognize. He tried to move more then his head, but his entire body seemed to be weighted down. His arms were pulled over his head. He could move his hands, but not the rest of his upper extremities.

Music slid into part of his mind in and around the chanting voice. The heavy drumbeat drilled into his skull so that he couldn't think past the agony in his skull. He couldn't think how he got to this place or why he couldn't move.

He turned his head toward the chanting voice and the smoke, which he realized, held a sweet and cloying smell he recognized. Incense, his overtaxed brain told him. Why?

The hazy quality of his eyes confused him. He thought he had his contacts in, but everything was so indistinct. _What's happening to me?_

The chanting voice came closer to where he lay. He yanked on his bonds with arms that were fast losing their feeling.

"W-who are y-you?"

"Don'cha worry," A sweet and familiar voice answered. "Your sacrifice will be for a good cause. You will be rewarded."

"W-what?"

Her face finally moved into his line of vision. "You!" He shouted against the sharp pain in his head that accompanied his response.

"I've looked everywhere for you." She said her long, black hair, heavy with red, white and blue beads.

The beads in her braids clicked together as her head brew in closer to his face. She smiled the same charming smile that had drawn him in the first time he'd seen her face.

"Why are you doing this?"

"You're the only one that can fix it." She answered.

"I don't understand." He yanked on the bindings keeping his legs in place. He choked on the sickening sweet scent of the incense that swirled around them. "Please let me go."

"I can't do that." She said.

He screamed when her hand rose with a long, sharp knife that glinted in the smoke filled candlelight. It was all that he could see as she began to chant again in a language he didn't understand.

"No! Stop! Please…"

She closed her eyes and began to sway back and forth like a snake in front of a charmer. Her chanting almost over shadowed his screams as the knife descended through the smoky air to his chest.

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The heart, lauded in song and poetry as the gateway to love, is a fragile and precious thing. She lifted this new heart from the chest of her sacrifice. His pain had surely made the magic of the medicine strong enough to work her miracle. The heart would be strong enough to make her most precious hopes come true. It had to be!


	2. Plans

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**_Plans_**

"Hey Reid…What are you doing for Halloween this year." Emily asked.

Reid looked up from his file, a smile overtaking his face. It was the first one she'd seen since JJ had left the team. "JJ and Will got an invitation to some fancy masquerade ball at the Pentagon. It's the first party her boss invited her to and she didn't think it wise to say no. She doesn't want to go though. She said it was the first Halloween that Henry could really participate in so she's bummed."

Morgan laughed from his desk. "Did you just say bummed?"

"I've heard you say it. It's acceptable slang for someone that's mildly depressed." Reid retorted.

"Oh really," Morgan said, "Thank you professor, for the enlightening explanation."

Emily smirked at Morgan. "Oh leave him alone Morgan." She chided.

"I'm just teasing you kid." Morgan said.

"I know and I don't care because Garcia and I are taking Henry trick or treating at the mall." Reid informed him excitedly.

"Why are you so happy to be spending Halloween with a two year old?" Morgan asked perplexed.

"Because afterward, we get to baby sit Henry at JJ's where there's a big screen television."

Emily and Morgan only stared at their brilliant young friend.

"What's so great about that?" Emily finally asked when Reid didn't seem to be forthcoming with more details about his Halloween festivities.

Reid rolled his eyes and spoke slowly as though explaining a problem in complex calculus to someone that didn't speak English. "It's great because cable's showing the original "Night of the Living Dead," and "Halloween."

"Don't you think those movies are too violent for Henry?" Emily asked, giving Morgan a sly wink.

"He'll be sleeping," Reid said confidently.

"Only if you don't let him OD on sugar," Emily said as Morgan laughed.

"I'm not going to let him OD on sugar," Reid retorted. "What kind of a godfather do you think I am?"

"Don't sound so offended kid." Morgan interjected. "Emily has a very good point."

"Why are you worried about my Halloween?" Reid asked his friend.

"I don't care… Emily's the one that wanted to know. I only joined in the conversation because your chatter's distracting me."

Reid picked up his file again. "I'm sorry I distracted you." He opened it and buried his face inside.

"No need to get offended kid." Morgan said happily.

"I'm not offended, but now I'm the one's that distracted." Reid said from behind his file.

"I need everyone in the conference room now." Hotch said from the upper walkway just as Emily opened her mouth to respond to Reid's assurance that he wasn't offended.

"Great… I hope we get back in time for Halloween." Reid lamented.

Morgan smiled and shook his head. "We've still got three days man. Keep your shirt on."

Reid ignored him and headed for the upper walkway with Emily right behind him. It still seemed weird to him that Hotch would present their cases instead of JJ. Change was a part of life he knew, but he didn't like this change very much at all. They were supposed to stay together and fight the good fight together. It didn't make any sense that they couldn't stay together. It wasn't logical because they're all the best. The best should work together.

Hotch and Garcia followed Emily, Reid and Morgan into the conference room. Rossi entered last behind them and shut the door. They all took their places at the table as Hotch began to speak.

The crime scene photographs made Garcia gasp, but she didn't speak.

"Wow…" Emily said. "Is that all they found?"

"The victim is Justin Bailey. He's the first in several brutal murders committed since the first day of this month. The sexton found his head on top of the wall surrounding Sleeping Pines Cemetery. He thought the head was an early Halloween prank until he got close. The rest of his dismembered body was on the ground behind the head.

"His heart was removed." Reid said. "Could be some kind of symbolic act." He continued, "Or a ritual. Did you know that the heart was the only organ left in the body when the Ancient Egyptians performed mummification? If the organ was accidentally removed, they would wrap it in linen and return it to the body cavity."

"Then I guess our un-sub isn't into ancient mummification rites." Rossi guessed.

Everyone but Hotch smiled a little. "Seven days later a care taker at Greensboro City Cemetery found another body at the rear exit with the same type of dismemberment. The young man's name is Gary Davis."

Hotch pushed the button on his remote and new photographs came up on the screen. "The same kind of mutilation as the first body." Rossi said. "It looks like they've both been tortured."

"Yes…" Hotch agreed. "The first victim suffered bruising to his torso and cutting wounds to his extremities. The coroner's report indicated that he was alive for the torture and when the un-sub cut into his chest to remove the heart."

"A week after that, at St Anne's church, Father Andrew found the body of Kenneth Perry, this time on the steps of Church. The locals don't know if this is because the un-sub has some kind of religious fixation or if it's because the un-sub knew the police were watching the entrances to all the cemeteries around Greensboro. Last night, the body of Carl LaSalle was found on the front steps of Saint Peter's church."

Reid studied his file so intensely he nearly forgot that everyone in the room with him. "It looks like the heart was removed and the bodies dismembered with a level of skill."

"Could be a doctor or a medical student?" Rossi postulated.

"Garcia… Check into the backgrounds of the victims and find out if they saw the same doctor at any point." Hotch asked. "So far the Greensboro PD hasn't been able to find a link between these men."

"Except that they all look very much alike." Emily said flicking her eyes over to Reid.

The three men were tall, very thin and very good-looking. "Yes… He definitely has a type." Rossi said.

"Was there any sign of sexual assault?" Morgan asked as he flicked through his copy of the file.

"No," Hotch responded.

"Except for possible piquerism." Reid interjected. "All of the men were stabbed in the torso to varying degrees."

"The un-sub is escalating in violence, but his cooling off period is consistent, which is odd." Reid said rubbing the knuckles of his right hand across his jaw.

"This means we have six days before he grabs someone else." Hotch said picking up his folder. "Wheels up in an hour." He said leaving the room.

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Her cell phone rang impatiently. She looked at the caller ID and decided she couldn't ignore this call. "Hello Mama," She answered.

"I haven't seen you for weeks baby. Where have you been?"

"I've been studying mother. Medical school isn't easy." She snapped.

"You don't have to take that tone with me." Her mother retorted.

"I'm sorry… I'll call you this weekend. I promise."

She heard her mother sigh exasperatedly. "Why don't we go have lunch together? I want to see you."

"Alright mother, I promise we'll get together soon."

"I hope so honey. I'm very worried about you."

She picked up the framed photograph that always stood next to her desk. The two of them had been so happy together and they would be happy again.

"You don't have to worry about me mama. I'm okay, really."

"I'll feel better when I can see it for myself. Why don't you come over here and I'll -"

"No!" She snapped. "I'm alright," she said more calmly. "I promise I'm fine. Please believe me."

"I'm your mother. I worry about you."

She put the photograph down on the desk and sighed quietly. "Mama, I'm really very busy. I have to go now."

"I love you."

"I love you to mama. I'll call you soon and we'll get together."

She shut the phone and reached over to finger the picture. "She doesn't understand." She whispered. "Don't worry… I'll always love you. We'll be together soon."

She picked up the small bag made from goatskin. She shook it, chanted a few words, let several silver coins, and boned fall to the ground. She smiled at the pattern on her hardwood floor with in her protected circle. It seemed that the Gods were looking favorably on her quest. Another chance would present itself very soon.


	3. Mistaken Identity

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**_Mistaken Identity_**

The jet flew south at 32 thousand feet. They'd just burst up from the cloud cover when Rossi sat down next to Reid with a fresh up of coffee. He put a second cup in front of the younger profiler. "Cup of coffee for your thoughts?" He asked.

Emily, who sat across from Reid, facing him looked up expectantly. Hotch and Morgan sat across the aisle and they observed him too. "Why are you all staring at me?" He asked.

"You look like you're confused." Emily said.

"Thanks!"

"I think she means that you look like your trying to come to something." Rossi said. "We all know that look."

Reid rubbed the edge of his jaw with the knuckles of his right hand. "We've never seen a un-sub with this kind of signature. Why remove only the hearts?"

"He might be into cannibalism." Morgan said. "We've seen that."

"What about the rest of the body." Emily said. "If the un-sub's taking these men for cannibalism, I'd think he'd consume more than just the heart. "

"Native American tribes sometimes consumed the heart, brain or eyes of bears, mountain lions or other prey because they felt they could take on the qualities associated with them." Reid said.

"So what does this un-sub hope to gain from the hearts of his victims?" Rossi asked.

"Let's not assume anything until we know more." Hotch interjected.

"So all we can count on is that the un-sub is male, white and between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five." Morgan said.

"I don't think it's a man." Reid said thoughtfully.

All of them turned their eyes on him. "Explain," Hotch said first.

Reid put his copy of the file down on the table. "Taking the heart could be something a woman would do. They aren't sexually assaulted and we know that these types of killings are all about the sex for men."

Emily smirked. "Yes Reid, we all know that about you big, strong, men."

"What about the torture and dismemberment?" Rossi added over his cup of steaming coffee. "I doubt a woman would do that to a man. It's too messy for a woman."

Emily nodded. "What woman would want to clean it up? What does she get from it all?"

Reid only shook his head. "I don't know… There's just something about it that bothers me."

The laptop sitting on the table between Rossi and Emily beeped. Garcia's face swam into view. Her brilliant red hair was in braids tied with yellow ribbons. Her red framed glasses, surrounded eyes that were friendly, but tinged with irritation and sadness.

"Can I just say that there are a lot of sick puppies out there?" She began.

"We know that mama…" Morgan said with a sigh. "What do you have for us?"

"I went through the lives of all the victims. I can't find anything that ties them together. They all worked in different professions. They lived in different neighborhoods, and went to different churches.

"I hear a 'but,' coming on." Morgan said his usual smile for her in full bloom.

"You're stepping on my lines sugar." She retorted.

"Sorry baby-girl."

She winked at him. "The 'but' coming up is that they're all single. They're all between the ages of twenty-five and thirty and they all grew up in North Carolina. That's it."

Morgan shook his head in mock disappointment. "Is that all sweetness?"

"I need more specifics if I'm going to dazzle you on this one." She complained reluctantly.

"What about medical doctors?" Hotch reminded her.

"Well sir I had to use unorthodox methods to get basic information. Everyone screams privacy in the medical profession without a warrant. I can tell you that none of the victims used the same insurance company." She said smugly, "I hacked in."

"Garcia…" Hotch interrupted.

"Don't worry boss, no one's the wiser." She assured him.

"He has to complain once in a while to maintain the illusion of plausible deniability." Rossi interjected.

Everyone smirked at Hotch who looked like he wanted to be mad at the statement, but he couldn't quite manage it.

"So what else did you find out?" Hotch asked her as he tried to ignore the rest of the team.

"I was about to tell you that they all saw different primary care providers."

"Send me a list. Morgan, I need you and Rossi to go to the dump sites." Hotch ordered. "Reid, you and Emily talk to the coroner. We need to find out more the torture inflicted on the victims. Look at the remains of the last victim. Find out if the dismemberment and the torture could be done by a woman." Hotch said his eyes on Reid.

"I'm going to talk to the families of the victims. Garcia… Were you able to set up things with Detective Docks?"

"He's ready and waiting for you sir."

"Thank you."

The screen of the laptop went black. The team went silent, each of them drawn down into their thoughts and preparing for the assignments to come.

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Hotch led the team into the bullpen at the police station. A very tall and muscular African American man confronted them as they entered the room. He reached out and shook Hotch's hand firmly. "I take it you're the BAU agents." He said in a soft southern accent that belied his huge size.

"Yes… I'm SSA Hotchner, Dr. Reid, SSAs Prentiss, Rossi, and Morgan."

He introduced them in turn.

"I'm glad you're here. I'm not ashamed to admit that this is baffling us." He led them to a small room just off the bullpen.

"This is our only conference room. Your Miss Garcia gave me a list of all your needs." He indicated the white board, two computers and a multi-line phone on a round table.

"Thank you… Have any of the families arrived?" Hotch asked.

"Yes," The big man gestured to another room down the hall. "The Davis's are here. They lived the closest to the precinct."

"Would you sit in on the interview?" Hotch asked. "I assume you've spoken with them. It might ease the way."

"Yeah… I'd like that." Docks agreed with a smile that lit up his face.

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The visitor area of the North Carolina State Office of Public health resembled a hospital waiting room, Reid thought. The walls, floors and furniture were designed to distract the public from the real reason for its purpose. Reid surveyed the light blue patterned chairs in the waiting area and the oak desk for the receptionist

Emily approached the receptionist who had just finished a tense phone call. The young blond woman glanced up at them, a practiced smile on her face, but Reid could see the day had taken its toll. He pretended not to notice her eyes straying to the clock that said 3:17 pm.

"I'm SSA Emily Prentiss from the BAU and this is Dr. Spencer Reid. Dr. Singh is waiting for us."

"Oh right, he said for you to go right down -"

She'd began rising from her chair when a small woman with grey streaked light brown hair slammed open the double door. "Where's Dr. Singh…" She demanded through tears. "I want to see my son now."

"Mrs. LaSalle, Dr. Singh will call you when your son can be released for burial. You have to let him do his job. He wants to take care of your son so the police can catch the killer."

The receptionist rounded her desk and put an arm around the distraught woman. "They won't tell me what happened to my baby or let me see him." Mrs. LaSalle sobbed. "I just want to tell him I love him. I need to know that it's really him. What if you made a mistake?"

"Mrs. LaSalle, your son knew you loved him. He'd want you to remember him the way he was." The receptionist patted the small woman's shoulder. "Why don't you sit down? The FBI is here to help find the person that killed your son. They need to speak to the doctor." She gestured to Emily and Reid.

Reid gave her a tiny wave. Emily began to say. "Mrs. LaSalle, we're very sorry for your loss -"

At the same time Emily spoke, the tiny woman's red and puffy eyes went wide and she screamed out a high breathless cry. "Carl… I knew they made a mistake. I knew you couldn't be dead!" She pulled out of the receptionist grasp took two steps to Reid and fainted dead away.

"Reid…" Emily said as the receptionist knelt over the unconscious women and began trying to revive her. "You certainly have a way with women."

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She finished the email and sent it off. The spirits had said that it was time to move forward with her next sacrifice. The time was getting short. If she wanted to see her beloved again, she would have to contact and take her next target.


	4. A Mother's Love

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**_A Mother's Love_**

"I don't understand why the un-sub changed dump site locations. First cemeteries and now churches," Morgan said as he and Rossi stood on the top of the steps leading up to the great double doors of St. Anne's church.

Rossi looked up at the stone gargoyle about the entrance to the church. "Did you know that gargoyles are supposed to keep evil spirits from entering the church?"

Morgan stared at Rossi through his dark glasses. "You freak me out when you channel Reid like that."

"Why do you people think Reid knows everything and I can't know anything?"

"Hey, don't get upset man. I'm just surprised."

Rossi didn't respond as he looked at the stairs. "I don't think the fear of getting caught with the bodies is the problem for this un-sub. Look at how busy this street is?" He gestured to the traffic passing below them.

"What about security cameras. There's a bank down the street." Morgan observed.

"The angle is wrong. I'm sure our killer did his homework. He could have pulled into the parking lot and timed the drop off between cars passing here. It's the same as the other sites. If you dress in dark clothing, who's going to notice? This isn't a residential area so the speed limit is higher. I don't see people slowing down to pay attention to the church."

"We should check out the forecast and see if the moon was out." Morgan said.

"That's a good idea." Rossi followed Morgan back down the stairs to the sidewalk. "What do you think Morgan? Is Reid onto something?"

"If you're asking me if a woman did this." Morgan shrugged his shoulders. "I know there're no absolutes in what the mind can do, but this seems excessively violent for a woman. On the other hand, there's no sexual component at all unless you count the stabbing." He didn't look satisfied to Rossi.

"On the other hand, Reid sees patterns we don't see until he points them out."

Morgan smiled grimly. "That's what I'm afraid of… If this is a woman, there's rage like I've never seen inside. She's incredibly dangerous."

"Let's get back to the station and see if Emily and Reid have anything new. Maybe the coroner shed some light on the wounds or the dismemberment that'll help nail down gender." Rossi said as they climbed into the burrowed SUV.

"One thing I know for sure is that man or woman this un-sub's not stopping till we catch him." Morgan said.

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"Why don't you stay with Mrs. LaSalle while I go talk to Dr. Singh?" Emily said as the collapsed woman began to awaken.

"You can't leave me here with her." Reid squeaked in utter panic. "She thinks I'm her dead son." He hissed.

"All the more reason for you to stay here and talk to her. You'll have her eating out of your hand."

"Emily…"

"You'll do fine." She winked at him. "Can you show me where I need to go?" She asked the receptionist.

The young blond woman looked at Mrs. LaSalle and Reid then back to Emily. "I don't know if I should just leave her here."

Emily nodded sympathetically. "I promise she's in good hands. Dr. Reid is very kind."

"I guess its okay. Dr. Singh told me to bring you down, so I better do that." The receptionist said reluctantly.

Emily ignored the pleading in Reid's puppy eyes and followed the receptionist to the elevator. He looked back at the woman on the floor and wiped his hands on his trousers. _This was so not good. _

Mrs. LaSalle tried to climb to her feet, swayed and nearly fell again. Reid leaped forward and grabbed her before she could collapse. "Ma'am… Are you alright?"

She turned her face and her bloodshot brown eyes up to this face. "Carl?"

"No ma'am…" He gently led her into the waiting area, to a small-upholstered bench. "My name is Dr. Spencer Reid."

He helped her sit down on the bench, and then he pulled out his badge for her to see. She looked at it then shook her head. "I'm sorry… I need my glasses." She said in a hoarse voice.

She fumbled into the black bag on her shoulder and pulled out a pair of squared framed glasses. They perched on the end of her nose, reminding Reid of a teacher in high school he'd liked. She peered at his badge again and more tears welled up in her eyes.

"I knew it was too good to be true, but I'd so hoped the police were wrong. Carl was all I had." She sobbed.

Reid put an awkward arm around her shoulders as he'd seen JJ do a few times. _You're not JJ! _

No, he wasn't JJ, but he didn't have her, and Emily had abandoned him, so he'd have to do the best he could with what he had. "I'm an FBI agent with the Behavioral Analysis Unit. I'm here to find the person that hurt your son."

She pulled an old-fashioned handkerchief from her bag and wiped at her eyes under her glasses. "I'm sorry I fainted dear boy."

"It's okay…" He said. "It's normal to see a loved one after they've died." He said.

She sniffed loudly and he mentally kicked himself for using the word 'died' instead of something better liked 'passed on.'

"Would you like some water?" He asked spying a water bottle in one corner of the room and little cone shaped paper cups.

"Thank you," she said faintly.

He shot out of his place next to her and fetched the water. "Here you go."

She drank it down the three gulps. "Do you know who did this to my boy?" She demanded fiercely.

"No ma'am… Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about Carl?"

She bowed her head. "The police asked me lots of questions."

Reid placed a hand on her arm. "I know they did, but I have different questions. I'd like to know what Carl was like." He asked kindly.

"He was a lovely boy, so kind and sweet to me. His father died when he was five. I had to raise him alone. He was such a good little boy. He never gave me any trouble even when he was a teenager. He helped me so much when he finished school with money and with repairs around the house. He said it was up to him to take care of me. I loved him for that, but I wanted him to have his own life too."

"What do you mean?"

"Only that he was very shy with girls. I think growing up without a father was hard on him. He never learned how to talk to girls."

She smiled sadly. "I suggested that he join that dating web site. I gave him the membership fee for his twenty-fifth birthday. I just wanted him to be happy."

"I'm sure he appreciated everything you did for him. It must be hard to raise a child without their father."

"You're just like my Carl and I don't mean that you look like him." She sniffed patting his arm. "You're very kind and sweet to listen to me ramble about how I wanted my son to find a nice girl. You're mother must be very proud of you."

"She is," he said, choking a bit on his words. "I lost my dad when I was young too."

"You poor boy…"

"It's okay… I just want to help you and the families of the other young men. Can you tell me the name of the dating service your son used?"

"It's called romance dot com. Do you think it has something to do with the person that killed my Carl?" She demanded, tears filling her eyes again.

"I don't know ma'am… We have to check into all angles. Do you know if he met anyone on the site?"

"He didn't say… He only had the membership for a week before…" She choked.

"Alright," He patted her arm again. "I'm going to give the site name to a wonderful woman in DC who's our technical analyst. If there's anything to find, she'll find it for us."

"Reid," Emily's voice broke into the conversation. "I need to talk to you."

"I have to go. Can we see you out to your car?"

Mrs. LaSalle shook her head. "I'm fine. I just need to sit her for a while."

He left her very reluctantly. "She shouldn't be alone." He whispered to Emily as they left.

Emily stopped him at the double doors. He looked back at the woman who sat there alone because she had no one now that her son was dead. "You can't take responsibility for her Reid."

"She's all alone Emily."

"I feel bad for her too. It must be terrible to lose a son, but we have to do our jobs."

"It's not right." Reid insisted.

"I care about her too Reid, but you can't lose yourself in her pain. We need you on this."

Reid only looked back at Carl's mother who stared out on of the windows. Why did she have to be left all alone?

"Come on," Emily pulled on his arm. "We need to get back to Hotch. Dr. Singh found something on the last body that's very interesting."

**_A/n the site mentioned in this chapter is fictional. _**


	5. The Profile

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n I've been asked to participate in an interview for Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum. The interview is posted if you'd like to read it. Thanks to those who nominated me for Profiler's Choice Awards. You're the best. Please enjoy the next chapter_**

**_The Profile_**

"Thank you for speaking with us." Hotch said as Mr. and Mrs. Davis preceded him from the little interrogation room.

"Just find the monster that killed my baby." Mrs. Davis demanded, tears tracking down her cheeks.

"Now Dorothy, these men are doing the best they can." Mr. Davis said thickly.

"Don't try to placate me Robert. We sit around and talk and now one does anything." She said, her tone rising as they entered the hallway to the bullpen.

"I know it doesn't seem like we are out there looking, but all the information you give us about your son helps."

"I'm sorry Mr. Hotchner," Dorothy Davis began. "I don't think you understand what it's like to lose a child."

Hotch stopped short of entering the bullpen where Detective Docks and his men were waiting with the parents of the other victims accept for Ms LaSalle.

"You're right I don't know what it's like, but I do know that we won't stop until we find the one responsible.

"Agent Hotchner, Mrs. Bailey and Mr. Perry said that their sons were using a dating service called romance dot com." Detective Docks said.

"Did your son have a membership to a dating web site?" Hotch asked the Davis's.

Mr. Davis pinched the bridge of his nose. "He'd just finished his graduate schooling. He had his own place and he didn't tell us if he was thinking of trying to find someone through a dating site."

"I told him never to join those sites." Mrs. Davis said, standing tall as though daring Hotch to disagree with her. "I said it wasn't safe for anyone no matter what kind of privacy they have."

"You couldn't protect him forever Dot." Mr. Davis said putting an arm around her. "He was a grown man."

"You don't understand because you're not his mother." She shouted, and then burst into angry sobs.

"I need to take her home." Mrs. Davis said. "Are we done here?" He pleaded as everyone stared.

"Yes…" Hotch said, his dark eyes kind. "You can take her home.

Mr. Davis, a very large man with thinning grey hair, led his wife away in the momentary silence of the bullpen.

"Please," Hotch addressed the other parents. "Go home and get some rest. We will contact you when we find the person responsible.

The parents, ruined shadows of pain, shuffled past Hotch and Detective Docks to the double doors at the front of the precinct. A sharp stab of grief and pain, that he thought he'd buried away for one o'clock in the morning when he couldn't sleep or gloomy Sunday afternoons, pushed past his defenses for a few miserable seconds. He clamped down on it and turned to see Reid, Emily, Rossi and Morgan entering at the same time.

"I have something that might help us." Reid said with the light of some good news in his eyes.

"I do too," Emily added with a sideways look at Reid.

"We ran into Ms. LaSalle at the morgue. She was very upset and mistook Reid for her son. She fainted, so I left him there to talk to her. I did speak with Dr. Singh and he had some interesting news for me."

"I talked to Ms. LaSalle," Reid stepped into the gap after Emily's declaration. "Carl LaSalle was a member of a dating web site."

"Romance dot com," Hotch interjected.

Reid's eyebrows went into his forehead. "How did you know sir?" His tone suggested that he was very disappointed that his surprise was ruined.

"According to the parents of Kenneth Perry and Justin Bailey, they were members of the same site."

"Call Garcia, I want her to go through their computers and find out about the women they matched to on the site." Hotch told Reid.

Reid pulled out his phone as they all headed back to the conference room. "Dr. Singh found that all the victims had the sedative Diazepam in their blood work, along with a fair amount of alcohol."

Hotch shut the door to the conference room. "So the un-sub drugged them."

"Giving strength to Reid's theory that the un-sub could be a woman, she doesn't have the strength to control men, the sedative gives her that power." Rossi suggested.

"Dr. Singh also found a small fragment of fabric inside the clenched right hand of Carl LaSalle." Emily informed them as Reid finished his call to Garcia.

"She's on it…" He said taking his chair next to Morgan.

"What kind of fabric?" Hotch asked.

Emily removed a photograph from a file folder Reid hadn't noticed she carried. "It looks like a piece of clothing."

The photograph showed a brightly colored piece of fabric that looked torn at the edges. "Is that blood?" Morgan asked pointing to drops of crimson on the orange, pink and royal blue fabric.

"Yes… The coroner is testing it to see if it matches to Carl LaSalle or maybe the un-sub." Emily confirmed. "She found some scratches on the victim's body that look like marks from restraints."

"That's consistent with the other victims." Hotch said. "Good… If we can get a DNA tie in to Carl LaSalle, then we might be able to ID the un-sub if she's in the system."

"So we're saying it's a woman." Rossi asked.

"Yes… Detective Docks and some of the officers here talked to the doctors on Garcia's list. All of them have alibis for the nights in question."

"Dr. Singh said that the dismemberment showed some skill, not like a talented surgeon, but some skill."

Okay, I think we're ready to give the profile." Hotch led them out of the conference room to the bullpen.

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"This un-sub is female." Hotch said to the group of cops and detectives in the bullpen. "She's between the ages of twenty and thirty and white. She has some level of medical training. Check the universities."

"Couldn't she be a butcher?" One cop asked as the others snickered. "I mean the bodies are pretty chopped up."

"Nice thinking Martinez," one of the female cops chided, "You come up with that all on your own."

"We can't rule out anything. Check the angle." Hotch suggested with a glower.

"Why do you think she's a woman?" Another female cop asked.

"Women don't kill for sexual motives." Reid began, his long fingers stabbing at the air as he spoke. "These men weren't sexually assaulted. In addition, they were drugged and restrained, which speaks to a small man that doesn't think he can control them, or a woman. She's removing the heart from them post mortem. The hearts are the only piece of the body we haven't found. The bodies are dismembered, but I think that's more for the ease in dumping the body then anything else."

"She appears to strive for maximum pain from her victims." Hotch added.

"We also know that the all the victims except one used a dating service. We're confirming that as we speak." Rossi included.

"One out of five relationships begins online these days." Reid added. "The heart is a symbol of love so we think that this woman maybe getting revenge on someone that hurt her."

"That's a little extreme, don't you think." The first female officer asked.

"Again, a valid point," Emily said. "She may have been in an abusive relationship and she feels this is the only way she can prove her dominance."

"Isn't it unusual for a woman to torture like that?" A young officer with straw blond hair and blue eyes asked from the back of the room.

Most of the eyes turned on him. "What? I went to a profiling seminar a couple of years ago."

"He's right. It is unusual for a woman to express this kind of rage. Nothing is impossible, though," Hotch, cautioned them. "Keep your eyes open."

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Morgan's phone rang just as they returned to their meeting room. "What'cha got for me sweetness?"

He put her on speakerphone as they gathered around the table. "I get a gold star," She began. "Using the IP addressed the good Detective Docks sent me, I was able to get into their business and find that all the victims did have memberships to the dating web site."

"You are my Goddess." Morgan enthused.

"Do you have a list of their matches?" Hotch asked.

Her enthusiastic tone lost a little of its upbeat tone. "No… I'm still trying to get past the web site security."

"Just call them and explain what we need." Hotch said. "There privacy issues are void because these men are dead."

"I tried boss, they wouldn't cooperate. I'll get in or get a warrant, which ever comes first."

"Keep trying and in the mean time," Hotch said. "I think I have a better idea."

Morgan said goodbye and flipped his phone shut. "What's the plan?" He asked as the rest of the team watched in silence.

"She has a very specific type." Hotch said. "I think we need to play to her fantasy and I know just how we can do it."

"How are we going to do that?" Reid asked.

The team glanced around at each other and smirked. "Oh, I think the bait Hotch has in mind will prove irresistible to her." Emily told him.


	6. Ladies Man

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n here's a bit of humor after all the seriousness. Hope you enjoy._**

**_Ladies Man_**

"You want me to _what_?" Reid squeaked.

His eyes darted for the door so Morgan stepped up and blocked him. "He's right Hotch. You can't just dangle him in front of some psychotic woman like - well, like a red cape in front of a raging bull."

"I don't plan on dangling him in front of anyone." Hotch retorted. "He'll be wearing a wire and have backup at all times."

Reid drew up to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest. "No… Absolutely not, we'll find another way."

"Come on Reid, we should give her someone she's already attracted to," Emily said with a smirk.

Reid narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm sure we can find an undercover officer that can handle it better than me. I'm not good with women. Hotch…" Reid turned his eyes on their boss.

"I promise you'll be completely safe." Hotch assured him.

Morgan clapped him on the shoulder. "They're right kid… You know I got your back."

"My back isn't the part of my anatomy I'm worried about." Reid complained.

Then his eyes lit up like stars and he smirked at his so-called friends. "Why are you so happy?" Rossi asked suspiciously.

"Well, it's not like woman fall over themselves to ask me out." He reminded them. "Why should putting my picture on the internet be any different?"

"Call Garcia," Hotch ordered. "She'll get you set up on the site."

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"No… You can't say that." Reid complained.

"You have to include some element of truth or you're too good to be true." Garcia lectured from Quantico.

"Fine… I don't like it though."

Garcia laughed. "I think it'll score you more hits than you realize baby cakes."

Reid rolled his eyes and picked up his cup of coffee. "We should be looking into something like the drugs or the cloth instead of pinning all our hopes on me." He grumbled.

"I'm on both," Garcia said. "If we get a good lead then you'll be off the hook."

"Let's just get it done."

Garcia tapped enthusiastically on her keyboard. "Alright… Your name is Dr. Jason Spencer. You're an engineer for Bluewater Design. You've been with the firm for two years since you moved to Greensboro from Alexandria VA. You were born and raised in Las Vegas and you're an only child. Your hobbies include reading, all things science fiction, and you like going on long romantic walks at sunset on the beach."

"I do not!" Reid squeaked.

Garcia grinned up at him from the lap top screen. "Women like stuff like that sweet cheeks."

"All right… How much more of my soul do I have to bare for this?" He demanded feeling his palms begin to sweat."

"We're all most done. We just have to upload a picture."

He sighed, "I don't have a photograph to upload." He said looking hopeful.

"Not to worry, oh handsome one of the large cranium, I have just the thing."

"Garcia!"

"Don't wail sweet cheeks. It's not cute." She ordered. "Trust me."

She hit more keys and smirked. "Now sign in and take a look."

He put in his username and password, and then hit the tab for his personal information. When his picture materialized, he decided that it wasn't so bad. "I'm surprised you didn't photo shop me into something humiliating like Morgan's chaps." He said gratefully.

"Hey… You promised you wouldn't bring that up again." Her dark eyes were huge and irritated behind her ruby framed glasses.

"Sorry Garcia," he apologized.

"You don't sound or look at all sorry. Remember I can switch out this picture anytime I want." She threatened.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry I said anything."

"Hey," she sat up straighter in her chair, and then she smirked at him. "Check out the hits on your profile. You've got six messages so far and your profile's only been active for five minutes."

Reid looked down at the laptop. "What do I do?" He squeaked.

"Why don't you go get Morgan? I'm sure he can help. I know for a fact he's going to love this."

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She logged into her profile on romance dot com and looked for new matches. The first three were duds. One of them was fifty and a college professor with comb over. She moved on to the next match and sighed. The pickings were very slim that day. What if she couldn't find another pure heart?

No, failure definitely wasn't an option at all. She'd find the right one and then the magic would work just as her mother trained her.

She paged past three more matches, ticking them off mentally as a definite no until the match that popped up next. She stared in complete shock. Of all the men she'd met on this site, he seemed to be the one that would be perfect for what she needed.

She smiled and began to write a message to Dr. Jason Spencer.

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The team gathered around Reid's laptop as Morgan stared in disbelief at the hits his 'little brother' racked up on his newly established profile.

"I thought you said no one would be interested." Emily asked Reid.

Reid looked a lot like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming semi as he watched Morgan going through the messages on his profile.

"I gotta say I'm impressed kid." Morgan said with admiration. "Can you make that kind of indecent proposal on the internet?" He pointed to one message.

Reid went scarlet and looked away. "I can't respond to that." He squeaked.

"We're going to have to make a couple of dates with the most likely. We have to profile them." Hotch said. "Emily and Rossi will help you."

"Thanks Hotch," Rossi complained, "Just what I wanted to do."

"Sorry Dave, but I need Morgan to help me sort through Garcia's results. It looks like a lot of doctors have prescribed a lot of Diazepam in the last month. It's going to take time."

Rossi glowered at Hotch. "You owe me a bottle of twelve year old scotch for this."

"Here's a good match for you." Morgan pointed at the screen. "She's hot!"

The picture on the screen showed a woman with short choppy brown hair and big green eyes. Her profile said she was attending nursing school at the University of North Carolina and likes Star Trek. Her ideal man is tall dark and handsome. Well, you have the tall part." Morgan teased.

"Just because she likes Star Trek -"

"Write back and make a date with her for tonight." Emily jabbed him in the shoulder. "She has medical training, at least enough to know anatomy."

"I don't know what to say." Reid said.

"Don't worry kid; I said I got your back." Morgan said.

Reid decided to sit back and let Morgan and Emily compose the reply. They argued over the right wording for about fifteen minutes before Hotch lost patience and ordered Reid to deal with it on his own. "Just be yourself." He advised while Morgan smirked at Reid.

"How am I supposed to ask her out when I don't know anything about Greensboro?"

"Tell her you'll meet her at Bixby's" Detective Docks said as he entered the conference room. "It's a hot spot among the college kids. There're lots of people there, especially on a Thursday night, because it's Ladies night." He advised with a smile. "We'll be able to place some plainclothes detectives along with your team."

"How do we know she's the one we're looking for?" Reid asked.

"Because so far she's the only one that fits in with the medical piece of the profile," Hotch said. "Now set it up Reid and stop stalling. You'll do fine." He gave Reid a rare smile.

"Alright, I'll try…"

He sent the reply to Megan and turned back to see everyone including Detective Docks watching him. "I did it. Are you all happy now?" He demanded. "I can't believe a woman would just agree to meet a total stranger. Doesn't she care about her safety?"

"Apparently she's willing to take a chance for a ride on the Dr. Reid love train." Morgan explained.

Reid went white. "That's not funny Morgan."

"Come on man, you gotta admit you got game when you get all this attention from total strangers."

"You got an answer," Emily interrupted pointing at the screen.

"She says to meet her at six which is in exactly three hours from now. We better get you wired up." Morgan said.

"What about his clothes?" Emily asked the team.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Reid demanded going pink.

Rossi coughed into his hand, but the cough sounded like a laugh. "You can't go out looking like a college professor. You're supposed to be some hot shot engineer. You have to look the part."

Reid looked around for help, but everyone including Detective Docks, were nodding their heads in agreement.

"I know just the place that can help us." Docks said.

"Don't I have a say in this?" Reid said as Emily pulled him out of the conference room.

"No… You're kind of cute Reid, but we're going to make you smoking hot."


	7. Blind Date

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_Blind Date_**

"Will you two stop arguing?" Hotch stepped between Morgan and Emily. "We only have a few hours until Reid needs to be ready."

Emily and Morgan stared each other down despite Hotch, who sighed and ordered Emily to go with Reid to shop for his date. "Morgan," Hotch cut off the inevitable protest. "I need you here. Docks and the officers accompanying us need more briefing on the profile."

"Hotch… They know what to look for. I think -"

"Emily's perfectly capable of helping Reid." Rossi interjected. "She's a woman."

"I know that Rossi. I have eyes." Morgan argued, but his dark eyes twinkled. "I'm not blind."

"You shut up and get to work." Emily snapped at Morgan.

She took Reid's arm and began pulling him toward the door. He planted his feet and yanked his arm away from her. "I look fine Hotch. I don't need -"

"Emily…" Hotch interrupted.

Emily walked around Reid looking him up and down thoroughly as Reid went crimson. She shook her head. "Nope… He needs something besides the cords and sweater vest."

"He's in the room if you don't mind." Reid squeaked indignantly.

"Go with Emily." Hotch ordered.

"Fine," he stalked out of the room leaving behind the rest of his highly amused team.

"Don't worry Hotch… He'll be perfect when we get back." Emily promised their boss.

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"Reid, hurry up already. We're short on time."

"I look ridiculous." He called from the men's changing room.

"Don't make me come in there and get you."

Another man, just leaving the changing room with a new suit over his arm smirked at her. She smiled back sweetly at him and remarked. "He's a little shy."

"Emily!" Reid poked his head around the corner.

"I'm going to need to see all of you, to know if you're presentable."

Barney, the sales clerk, motioned him forward as well. Reid stepped out into the main area of the shop full of men's clothes ranging from suits to jeans. The young agent wore a black wool jacket with a button over zip front closure, which he had left open covering a white shirt with black swirl printing on the right shoulder and chest area, which resembled the Old English text font on her computer. A pair of black jeans completed the look.

"Wow…" She said aloud, and then snapped her mouth closed as he just stared at her. "You look like a total geek chic."

"Thanks," he said. "I think."

"The young lady is right. The outfit is tres chic." The tall, skinny and blond haired sales clerk agreed.

"Why don't you try on the sweater too?" Emily said as she tried to keep her tongue in her mouth and her eyes in her head.

"Why?"

"We might need to send you out of more than one date." She said as though it were obvious.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes and returned to the changing room.

He returned much faster this time wearing the same pair of black jeans and a charcoal sweater with an argyle front in black, red, and white diamond pattern. He wore it over a charcoal tee shirt of the same color. The zipper in the front of the sweater opened halfway, but Reid had zipped it to his neck to resemble a turtleneck.

Emily approached and pulled the zipper down slowly as Barney watched them like a man dying of thirst in the desert.

She stepped back, coughed into one hand, and said in a slightly out of breath tone. "Reid, turn around please."

"Why?" He squeaked again.

"Just do it."

He turned around and her palms began to sweat. Since he'd spent months on crutches and in physical therapy, his backside had improved immensely. "Um, I think we'll take both outfits." She advised Barney.

"We will?" Reid said.

"Yeah… make up your mind which one you want to wear tonight." She ordered.

Reid dashed back into the changing room. Emily glanced over at the Barney who looked like someone had punched him in the stomach.

"You are a lucky woman." He suddenly said to Emily. "Your boyfriend is very attractive."

Emily smirked. "Yeah… He's hot." She agreed.

The sales clerk frowned and returned to the checkout area. Emily waited until Reid returned wearing the sweater and jeans, and carrying his work clothes and the second outfit. She whipped out her corporate card, wondering how to explain this on an expense voucher. She decided if Strauss made a fuss, she would pay for the clothes herself. It was worth just looking at Reid. She tried not to laugh, as Reid remained oblivious to the admiration of the sales clerk.

"What are you smirking at?" Reid asked as they left and hurried to the SUV. "I look stupid don't I?"

She climbed behind the wheel and slammed the door as he got into the passenger side. "Reid… You look smoking hot. The clerk thought so too."

Reid went crimson and picked at the end of his sweater arm. "No he didn't," he argued.

"You really are innocent Reid. Don't worry, I told him I was your girlfriend."

"You what?" He nearly shouted.

"He was about to hit on you." She informed him. "I thought having to go out on a blind date and get new clothes was as much as you could handle at the moment."

He sighed. "I'm going to mess this up."

Emily glanced over, looked him up and down again and smiled. "You won't have to say a word Reid, not looking like that."

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The inside of Bixby's was crowded with young people, especially young woman of all shapes, sizes and ages. In fact, Reid nearly bowled over two gray haired women who were headed to a booth with glasses of white wine.

He looked around the crowded room, which boasted a black and white tile floor, and a u-shaped glass and metal bar. Several blond and beautiful women staffed the bar, their backs toward the cash register and shelves of liquor and glasses.

"I don't see her." Reid murmured as a crowd of men milled around him, ignoring him.

"You're going to have to step further into the room." Morgan's voice sounded in his ear.

"I've got her." Emily said from her position at the bar several feet away from Hotch. "She's to your left at ten o'clock."

Reid looked to his left to see Megan sitting at a small round table. She looked up through the crowds at the same time and smiled. Reid took in a deep breath and headed through the crowd to the table.

"H-hi…" He squeaked, cleared his throat and started again. "I'm Sp- I mean Jason Spencer." He corrected just in time.

"Sit down Dr. Spencer." She said, her green eyes looking him up and down. "It's nice to meet you."

Her voice reminded him of melted butter. She had a slight southern accent that appealed to him. She wore a red dress with spaghetti straps. He supposed it went with her hair. He really didn't know, but he knew that girls took a lot of time with their appearance for first dates.

"You - um, you look nice." He squeaked and cursed his voice. She'd run away for sure.

"So do you," she indicated for him to sit. "I'm surprised you'd need a web site to get a date. By the way, I'm Megan Sheridan, like the hotel chain."

"Are you from around here?"

He kicked himself again for such a dumb question. Everyone was witnessing his humiliation. Morgan was never going to let him hear the end of it.

She swirled the red swizzle stick around in her drink. "No, I just moved here from Savannah Georgia."

"Greensboro's a larger city than Savannah with a population of 257,997 as of July 2009. Savannah only has a population of 131,510 as of the 2000 census." Reid supplied helpfully.

"Do you memorize maps in your spare time?" Megan asked with a smile.

"Yes… Um, I mean I like facts and statistics."

He thought he heard Morgan chuckle in his ear, but he ignored it. The state of the art microphone in his ear had seemed like a good idea, but maybe they'd been wrong. He wanted to yank it out of his ear so he didn't feel like they all laughed. Of course, he knew he couldn't do that because she could be this killer.

"Jason," she said. "Hello…"

"Oh sorry… I was thinking about work. We've been busy and I can't seem to turn it off."

Instead of getting angry, she smiled kindly. "I think I know what you mean. I'm studying to be a nurse and that's why I went on the site. I don't have time for dating the old fashioned way."

"I think you're very nice and pretty." He blurted out.

"Thank you, you're very sweet. Would you like a drink?" She asked.

"Um… Yeah, I can get it." He said standing up.

"Don't be gone long."

"_Yeah lover boy, you got her eating out of your hand." _Morgan said in his ear.

"Shut up!" Reid said through gritted teeth.

He ordered a beer and hurried back through the crowd. He stepped up to the table only to see another man sitting there having a very loud conversation with Megan. "I told you, we're done when I say we're done."

He tried to yank her to her feet. "Stop it Donald." She shouted back.

"Excuse me," Reid began to say.

"Who the hell are you?" The man shouted.

He stood up, towering over Reid by about four inches. He had the same kind of build as Morgan and he swayed like the profoundly drunk. "Why don't you go about your business, little man?"

"He's my date. Leave him alone, Don!" Megan shouted over the noise.

The man shoved Reid back into the crowd. "Hey…" Morgan appeared and grabbed Don. He pulled the man away from the pair. "Get lost or I'll call the cops."

"Stay out of this." The other man tried to pull his arm from Morgan's grasp.

"You're drunk," Megan shouted. "Get out of here."

Morgan pulled Donald from the bar. "Sorry if he's bothering you miss." He told Megan without acknowledging Reid.

"I'm sorry," Megan told Reid. "He's my ex boyfriend. He won't leave me alone."

"It's not your fault. Do you want to call the police?" Reid asked.

"No… I'm sorry Jason, but I think I'm going to cut this short. I'm very sorry, you're a really nice guy." She said again, and then she stood on tiptoe and pecked him on the cheek. As she left the bar, he stood there in the middle of the crowds of people that weren't paying attention, wondering what went wrong.


	8. Emerging Patterns

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n all of the information mentioned in this chapter regarding South African Healers was pulled from a documentary video on you tube. Many thanks to my wonderful beta who suggested this type of unsub to me and did most of the research. You rock P. _**

**_Emerging Patterns_**

The next morning dawned early. Hotch had ordered them into the precinct at seven am, to begin again with the evidence they had from the various dumpsites and the bodies of the victims.

Reid arrived first with a large paper cup of steaming coffee in one hand and his messenger bag in the other. Every piece of evidence they had on the case including photos hung on the large whiteboard to the right of the room. He left his messenger bag on the table and went to the whiteboard. He stared at the map hanging to the left of the crime scene photos. His geographic profile didn't have a pattern he could figure out.

The victims lived in areas scattered all over the city and the outlying areas. The dumpsites didn't help either. He touched the red pushpin he'd used to mark the church where the last victim was found. His mind turned back to the night before the utter failure of his so-called date.

_Why didn't they listen to him when he'd said that he'd mess it up?_

"I thought I might find you in here brooding." Hotch said from behind him.

"Oh hello," Reid said absently. "I'm just thinking…

"You're thinking about last night. None of that was your fault. You couldn't have known an ex-boyfriend would show up."

Reid sighed and pushed up the sleeves of his white shirt. He was back to wearing a sweater vest and trousers. "I know Hotch… I shouldn't have needed Morgan to step in like that. Woman want men around that can stand up for them. I just stood there."

Hotch's face didn't break from its glowering mask. "So you think picking a fight with a man six inches taller, and about seventy pounds heavier than you, would've been a good idea?"

Reid opened his mouth, then closed it and rubbed his chin with his free hand. "Well, no, but I should've said something."

"Reid, you can Monday morning quarterback about this all day if you want. I prefer you get your mind on the case. You did the best you could. Not every man's an alpha male and I'm glad. Think of the trouble the world would have if we were."

Reid let a smile ghost over his face. "Yeah… I guess you're right. Sorry."

"Just concentrate on the case."

"Hotch?"

"What?"

"What does Monday morning quarterback mean?"

Hotch actually smiled. "I just meant that hind sight is twenty-twenty."

"Oh…"

Reid picked up his coffee cup and took a sip of the rapidly cooling drink. "At least we eliminated her as a suspect."

"Yes… If she were, the one she wouldn't have put up with her ex's stalking. He doesn't fit the physical type. If she were going to find surrogates to punish in his place, they'd look more like him than you." Hotch said as he took a sip of the coffee he'd brought into the conference room.

Rossi, Emily and Morgan all arrived at the same time. Emily carried a box of donuts, which she plunked down on the table at the same time the laptop pinged, and Garcia appeared. Her dark eyes twinkled with way too much enthusiasm behind blue frames that morning. He long read hair was tied back in a ponytail with a yellow flower perched just behind her left ear.

"Don't you ever sleep mama?" Morgan asked.

"Your concern over my well being warms the cockles of my heart handsome, but it's not necessary. I live for my computers."

The team smiled at her fond tone.

"What did you find?" Hotch asked in a tone aimed at bringing the conversation back to its rightful place.

"I've been monitoring the hits to Reid's profile. Our handsome young profiler has many admirers of both sexes."

Rossi and Morgan sniggered into their cups of coffee. Emily laughed aloud and Reid went scarlet. Hotch's mouth twitched but he didn't comment on Garcia's enthusiastic announcement.

"I ran all of them though my computers. A good many of these matches have false information in their profiles." She told them as if this were a big secret.

"Gee…" Emily said sarcastically. "And here I thought you were the only one to exaggerate a profile."

Garcia only smirked at her friend. "I'm just saying that it's difficult to weed out the prospects from the real thing."

"What do we do now?" Reid asked.

"You all doubt me." Garcia said. "I did find a couple of likely possibilities and I did it without your so-called profiling abilities."

"Tell us," Hotch ordered as the rest of the team hid smiles behind their hands.

"I'll start with Dr. Susan Cohen. She was born and raised in New York City. She moved here a year ago to head up the Natural Science Center. She has a doctorate in Anthropology from NYU. She just got back from an expedition in South America. She's twenty-seven and an only child. Her parents still live in New York City."

"I don't see any medical training." Emily said.

"I know, but don't anthropologists deal with dead bodies. She had to know something about anatomy." Garcia said.

"Actually, _'The revealing bodies traveling exhibit,_' is set to open at the Natural Science Center on November 6th." Reid began to lecture. "It's an exhibit that exposes the secrets of the human body in unprecedented detail normally reserved for medical professionals. Visitors of all ages are invited to look deep inside 180 carefully preserved specimens. It's quite an exciting opportunity for the city."

"I'll add that to my list of things to do if we don't make it back to Quantico before the show opens." Rossi said dryly.

"We'll put her on the list. What else do you have?" Hotch asked, moving the conversation back to the case.

Garcia gave them the three more names including one medical student with South African heritage, another woman studying pharmacology at the university and another woman that worked for a mortuary.

Detective Docks arrived with a paper cup in his hands and another box of donuts, which immediately made him the most popular man in the room. He'd shut the door against the rest of the officers in the building who could smell donuts five miles away and traveling in the opposite direction.

"We've got news about the fabric taken from Mr. Davis's hand." He began. "It's one hundred percent cotton and hand dyed. There's only one place in the city that makes garments with this particular pattern and type of hand dying technique. "

"Zola's Medicine Shop." Garcia interjected.

Detective Docks raised his eyebrows. "Yes… How did you know that?"

"You'll find that Garcia can find the answer with minimal help from us." Rossi said.

"I'm impressed. What else do you know?" Docks challenged in his soft voice.

"I know that Ms Zola Kenyon was born in South Africa. She met Dr. Mitchell Kenyon when he was working as a type of doctors without borders in South Africa. They married there in 1985 and moved back here to North Carolina. That's all I have so far except that Dr. Kenyon died six months ago in a car accident."

"Good work Garcia. Rossi, you and I will go talk to Ms Kenyon and see if we can get a list of her customers. Reid, I want Emily and Morgan helping you today. See if you can set up date with Ms Cohen."

"Yes sir…" Reid agreed unhappily.

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"Why the long face?" Morgan asked Reid several hours later as the lunch hour approached.

"I don't think this is a good idea." Reid said morosely.

"You'll do fine." Emily said as Reid fidgeted with his second new outfit.

She slapped his hand away when he tried to stop her from rolling up the sleeves and buttoning his shirt. She'd undone the top two buttons and the bottom two so that the white tee shift he wore showed. "There… It's perfect. Touch it and I'll cut off your fingers." She threatened.

"Morgan!"

"Do not look at me pretty boy." Morgan leaned back against the table appraising Reid's look. "I told you never mess with a woman carrying a gun."

"This is too much for lunch at a museum."

"You look great." Emily said. "Stop stalling."

"I'm not stalling I just think that this is a bad idea."

"You'll be perfectly safe. I'm sure you'll sweep her off her feet and right into our arms if she's the one." Morgan said making a grand gesture with his arms.

"What's really bothering you?" Emily asked him, unable to take her eyes off his new look.

"The case is bothering me. It has all the signs of ritual rather than revenge or sexual motives."

He went to the white board and pointed to the photographs of the bodies. "Look at the way they're posed." He touched one picture, then another with long fingers.

"Yeah… there's no pattern." Morgan said.

"Yes there is," Reid disagreed. "They're all different sure, but there's a similarity. She could've just left the remains, but they're arranged in different patterns."

"So what are you trying to say?" Morgan asked.

"The report on the cloth found in Gary Davis's hand. It matches a type of costume worn by medical practitioners in South Africa called Muti. They use bones, skin, hair, or other personal items and sometimes coins when consulted for advice or for medical issues.

I watched a video on line that showed a healer throwing down these items and reading the patterns. The way the coins or bones fall, can attract love, good health, or protect the home among other things. Some healers promise luck by rubbing powders on their skin after washing and repeating some kind of positive phrase like "I'm going to get this job or win this game."

"Isn't that just the power of positive thinking?" Emily asked.

"Yes, but that's usually the root of magic like Muti or Voodoo. These healers know, even if they don't admit it, that the power of the mind is the most powerful thing of all."

"So you're saying that this un-sub arranges the bodies at the dump sites in a pattern like these healers."

Reid nodded. "South Africa has been dealing with Muti killings for years. Some of the practitioners kill people especially children, for certain body parts needed for their magic. The greater the pain inflicted on the person the stronger the magic. They are taking the person's life essences.

Most of the sangonas as they are called use only herb and plants in their medicine. There are some, though, that resort to human sacrifice.

Three quarters of the population of South Africa are treated with Muti medicine. They believe in it more deeply then western medicine."

"So you think she's trying to perform some kind of healing ritual." Morgan said.

"Yes. I just don't know what her end goal will be."

"All the more reason to charm this Susan Cohen," Morgan said.

"I don't know, I think Samara Nicosia is a better choice." Reid said. "She was born in North Carolina but she has South African heritage and she's a medical student. She might have more knowledge of Muti." Reid argued.

"Why don't we contact her and you can see her this afternoon if Ms Cohen is eliminated." Morgan advised, getting up from his place at the table as the sun broke through the clouds that had greeted them that morning.

"It's getting late." Emily said grabbing Reid's arm. "Let's get you to your next date."


	9. Blind Date Part Two

_**Disclaimer: see my profile please.**_

_**Blind Date Part Two**_

Hotch preceded Rossi into the shop. A bell over the door clanged as his partner let the door fall shut behind him. The smell of incense, herbs and some other perfume that he couldn't identify permeated the room, but the scent wasn't unpleasant.

He looked around the small room at herbs and plants hanging from the ceiling and the walls. Some of the products were packaged professionally with labels in black on white paper. There were beads of all colors in see through plastic drawers. It didn't surprise him that feathers and chicken feet also dangled from the ceiling. In fact, there wasn't much that could surprise him anymore.

"There's the shirt and robes she sells. I recognize that pattern." Rossi muttered as a woman with skin the color of coal and long black hair in beaded cornrows entered the front of the store.

"Welcome…" She said in a lilting voice. "How can I help you?"

"My name is Agent Hotchner and this is Agent Rossi."

They held out their badges for her inspection. "I see… What can I do for the FBI?"

"We're here about the clothing you sell." Rossi explained.

"Yes… It's all hand made by me and my daughter." She said, confusion growing in her black eyes. "Why are you asking?"

"We're investigating the deaths of several young men in the area. A piece of cloth that matched the type of garments you make and sell was found with the last victim."

"You think one of my customers, or perhaps I had something to do with these killings." She said going to her place behind the counter.

"We'd like to look at list of your customers over the last three months." Rossi asked.

"I'm afraid you'll have to show me a warrant." She stated firmly, all helpful kindness gone from her musical voice.

Hotch's phone rang. He stepped away to take the call, while Rossi talked to Ms. Zola. "Ma'am we don't want to invade your clients' privacy but we need to find the woman responsible for these deaths."

"A woman…" Ms Zola laughed, her cornrows clicking together as her head shook. "I've heard on the news that these men were dismembered. Surely a woman couldn't do something so terrible."

Rossi leaned up against the counter and smiled at the storekeeper. "The hearts of these young men were removed from their chests, their bodies dismembered, but before all of that, they were tortured for maximum pain. Does any of that sound familiar to you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She denied. "I would appreciate it is you left and didn't return unless you have a warrant." She backed away from him to the colorful curtain hanging from the doorway behind the counter.

"Ms Kenyon," Hotch said coming back to the counter. "How long have you practiced Muti?"

They heard the audible click in her throat. "I told him," she said pointing to Rossi. "I don't know what you want from me."

"We have a technical analyst that's very good at getting the details of anyone's life, especially the ones you don't want the general public to know. We know you are a licensed alternative medical practitioner. You specialize in Muti, but you also work with more traditional western alternative medicine and licensed doctors. Your husband was a surgeon. You met him in South Africa and moved here to live."

"Alright, I practice the old ways." She admitted going to a tall stool behind the counter and sitting down. "I never killed anyone. I don't believe in that part of Muti. The practice of mutilating human bodies for money or magic cures goes against what my grandmother taught me growing up."

"So you are aware of the problem in South Africa of Muti killings." Hotch asked.

"Yes… it was going on when I was growing up. We were told not to speak of it, as though staying silent might make the problem go away. We were told never to talk to the police about this terrible side of Muti."

"Ms Zola right now you're the only one in this city that knows the rituals involved with these kinds of killings." Rossi said. "It's better for you if you cooperate with us."

"No…" Hotch interrupted. "She's not the only one. Your daughter is a practitioner of Muti as well. She's a student of western medicine at the University of North Carolina. We found her name in a list of matches on a dating web site where the victims met the woman that killed them."

Anger filled Zola's eyes. "My daughter didn't do anything. She's not capable of hurting a fly. I taught her better than that."

Rossi's dark eyes pierced her as he spoke. "Has your daughter suffered some trauma in the last six months?"

"H-her fiancé d-died three months ago. H-he had a heart problem and they couldn't find a d-donor quickly enough to s-save him. He was her whole w-world."

Hotch pulled a photograph of Reid taken at their last Fourth of July picnic at Quantico from the file folder he carried and showed it to her. "Did her fiancé look like this man?" He pulled more photos of the men as they had been in life and showed them to the distraught woman. "These are the victims, they all resemble her fiancé."

"Oh my God…" Tears filled Zola's eyes replacing the anger in them. "Samara what have you done?"

"We need to know where to find her. Right now, we just want to talk to her."

"But why would she do this?" Zola choked. "I don't understand."

"We don't know why." Hotch explained. "Please tell us where we can find your daughter before she hurts someone else."

"I haven't seen her in weeks." She assured them "I talked to her yesterday and she was fine. She promised to have lunch with me soon. I know she didn't do anything. Please don't hurt her." Zola begged. "My husband was killed in a car accident. She's all I have."

"We don't want to hurt her." Hotch said. "We have to protect the men of this city."

Zola wiped at her eyes with the edge of the colorful tunic she wore. "Alright… I know where she might be."

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Reid entered the big double glass doors of the Museum alone. He knew that some of Docks' men and women were around in plain clothes as was Emily and Morgan, but his hands shook as they always did when confronted with a situation that could explode.

He went to the information desk where Ms Cohen said she'd meet him. He couldn't see her yet so he pretended to look at some of the colorful brochures standing up in a plastic holder. He put one back after a few seconds and pulled out one for the new "Revealing Bodies," exhibit and found that he didn't have to pretend to read it.

"Pay attention kid." Morgan sounded in his ear. "Your date's on her way across the room. She is fine, much better than her picture." He whistled in Reid's ear.

Reid hissed. "Are you trying to deafen me?"

He ignored Morgan's laughter and looked up. Dr. Susan Cohen walked up to him with a smile gracing her face. Her long blond hair fell in waves down her back. She had the front and sides pulled back as he'd seen JJ do a lot. She had large blue eyes and an oval shaped face. She wore a tailored dark blue suit jacket and skirt that hugged her figure. He began to sweat, little drops running down his back.

"Hello… You must be Dr. Jason Spencer. I'm Dr. Susan Cohen." She held out her hand.

He wiped his right hand on his jeans and took her hand to shake it. Her skin was warm and it made his stomach tingle.

_Get a grip! _

"It's nice to meet you." He squeaked.

_Damn it! Why can't you control the squeaking? _

Dr. Cohen didn't seem to mind. She smiled wider and took his arm. "I hope you don't mind that I wanted to meet here. I have so much work to do with the exhibit coming in…"

"I don't mind. I like museums." Reid said, without the squeak this time.

"Do you?" She led him past the information booth to another hallway filled with Egyptian exhibits.

"Well… I like natural history or science museums. I don't really know that much about art so I don't spend a lot of time in art museums." He rambled.

"I like art I can understand like seascapes and still life. I don't like modern or abstract art that doesn't make any sense."

"Me either," Reid agreed.

"We've got a cute little café down the hall. They have coffee, sandwiches and soup if you like."

He found himself smiling down at her as she led him to the entrance to the small café. The eatery was set up cafeteria style. They ordered their food and took a table next to the windows. The sky outside had brightened a bit since that morning, but it was still chilly outside.

He watched Dr. Cohen look out the window at the red, orange and gold leaves on the trees, the grass and the parking lot.

"Dr. Cohen?" He asked uncertainly.

"I'm sorry… I just love the fall. It's so beautiful. I like the chill in the air instead of the heat." She stirred absently at the chicken soup she'd ordered.

"Yeah… It's very beautiful."

"I'm sorry," she shook her head. "I'm being very rude. I'm just a little tired of twelve hour days and non-existent weekends."

"I think I understand." He said without thinking.

She laughed and took a sip of her soup. "Are engineers so busy?"

"Actually, we just finished a big project. I've got the next few days off." He lied smoothly.

"Oh…"

He couldn't think of anything to say to her so he chewed on the ham and cheese sandwich he'd ordered.

"I don't understand it." She remarked suddenly.

He looked up to see her twisting her heart shaped pendant with her right hand. Her blue eyes met his with a definite question in their depths.

"I don't understand why a man as attractive as you would resort to using a dating website. You must have women falling all over you."

"Actually one in five relationships starts online these days." He said unable to stop the statistic from leaving his mouth.

"Is that so?" She asked amused.

"Yes."

She picked up her cup of coffee and sipped at it for a minute. "I'm glad you decided to join the site. I think I like you Dr. Spencer."

Guilt over his deception punched him unexpectedly in the stomach because he liked her too. _"Keep it going Reid; you've got her right where you want her." _Morgan said.

He curled his left hand into a fist under the table wishing he could say something very rude to Morgan, but Dr. Cohen's presence kept him silent, at least for a minute.

"I like you too." He squeaked out before he could stop the words.

"I'm glad." She said.

Neither spoke for a very long time until Dr. Cohen said. "What are you thinking about?"

He choked on the mouthful of his sandwich. He swallowed hard. "I'm sorry… It's just with Halloween coming up and your exhibit… Well, it made me think of the killings."

"Oh…" She shivered. "I saw something on the news about that."

"I'm sorry… It's not a very appetizing subject of conversation."

Dr. Cohen went a little pink in the cheeks. "I admit that I'm a little fascinated by the murders. Anthropologically speaking," she added quickly. "Why does a man kill in such a way in this time in our existence when we don't have to compete for food or mates?"

Reid dropped his voice as though sharing a secret. "I have a friend that's a reporter and he said the killer cut the hearts out of the victims. Why do you think someone would do that?"

Dr. Cohen's eyes brightened a bit. "I don't know. It could be that it's a woman that's wronged by love." She said. "In fact, when I was in South America, I came across a Mayan cult previously unknown to science that used human heart in resurrection rituals. I've seen the same thing in African rituals. It was very fascinating."

"_Watch out." _Morgan said in his ear.

"Why do you think it's a woman?" Reid asked over the last of his sandwich.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know… It just seems like something a woman might do. Still it's a despicable thing to do." She shuddered.

"I'm sorry," Reid said again. "Let's talk about something else."

"_Reid… Hotch just called. He talked to Zola Kenyon. She has a daughter and her name matches one of the women who're trying to contact you. You need to get out of there now." _

Reid felt real regret rise up in his chest. His phone rang. He looked down and feigned a look of real irritation. "I'm sorry… I really have to go. It was very nice meeting you."

"But -"

He jumped up from the table and left her staring after him. He answered the phone. "Reid."

"_I need you back at the precinct right now." _Hotch said.

"I'm on my way. Sarah Cohen isn't the one." Reid replied as he wove his way through the crowd.

"_Yes… I know."_

"Her body language was relaxed, and she was using contractions and looking me in the eye. She wasn't lying or -"

"I believe you Reid, just meet up with Morgan and Emily, and get back here. We know where to find Samara Nicosia."

**_A/n the Mayan and African practice of using hearts in a resurrection ritual is totally made up by yours truly!_**


	10. Final Sacrifice

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n hey all... I have one more chapter after this one coming up and then we're done. Thank you all for your support. _**

**_Final Sacrifice _**

The conference room at the precinct bulged with cops and agents as Reid tried to concentrate on what to say to Samara Nicosia. She didn't have a picture posted on line so he didn't know what she looked like. He didn't like going in truly blind when it looked like she could be the one they wanted.

"Please…" Hotch said. "I need everyone out of here that doesn't absolutely need to be in here. We'll brief everyone on what we're going to do after Dr. Reid sets up the meet."

Everyone left except for the team and Detective Docks. Most of them grumbled or stared at Reid, but he ignored them.

His laptop beeped while he composed. Garcia's face popped up in a window blocking his writing.

"Garcia…"

"Sorry my junior G-man, but I have more information for you."

The rest of the team gathered around Reid's chair to hear Garcia's news. "I dug into the sedative angle and found that the only doctor in the area to prescribe the amounts found in the bodies is Zola Kenyon."

"Her daughter probably used her DEA number." Reid said.

"That's what I'm thinking sweet cheeks. Samara Nicosia is the only woman that matches to all the victims."

"It's all circumstantial…" Rossi said.

"We need to catch her in the act." Hotch said.

"We can't just throw Reid to the wolf." Morgan began his dark eyes snapping.

"I'm not suggesting we let her take it that far. We pick the place they meet, somewhere we can control. All we need to see is her put the sedative in his drink."

"I know the perfect place." Docks injected. "I have a friend that used to be on the job. He retired five years ago after he lost part of one of his hands in a shootout. He owns a restaurant that has a big room for parties at the back with its own emergency exit. We could set up in that room."

"Won't she think it's weird if we use the party room?" Reid asked."

"Tell her it's your birthday." Emily suggested. "You can say you don't have any family in town and you'd love for her to spend it with you."

Reid narrowed his eyes at her.

"Trust me," She patted his shoulder. "She'll love it."

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Carson Whitaker greeted Docks quietly when they entered the restaurant. The detective, his officers and the team were dressed casually for a night out.

"Don't worry," Whitaker said to the host at the counter as the team entered. "These are some special friends. I'm taking them to the private party room."

"Yes sir."

They followed Docks friend, an older man with graying hair, but a straight bearing through the restaurant and to the back room, which divided into two rooms.

"We have two private areas for parties." Whitaker explained as the team began to set up for their operation. "Neither of them was booked for tonight, so you can use both if you need."

"Good… We'll get Reid wired and hooked up to a camera." Hotch said.

Reid stood in the middle of all the activity wondering how he'd gotten into all of this. Everyone said he had a talent for trouble, but he'd never really believed it until now. At least he had help close by if he needed it.

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She studied her appearance in the mirror. She'd taken the beads out of her hair and brushed it smooth. She'd changed everything about this new sacrifice and perhaps it would work this time. She adjusted the dark blue dress she wore making sure that it hung right on her hips. Her bag lay on the table next to the front door waiting for her to leave.

She picked up his photograph and stroked the surface of the glass with her thumb. She was smiling and laughing in his embrace. She'd thought that they'd be together forever that summer day, but cruel fate and the Gods decreed it otherwise. Her ancestors had spoken to her though, and shown her the way to bring him back. It was her fault that she'd been unsuccessful. She hadn't found the purest heart for her beloved, until now. She'd been given a sign that showed her the truth. Tonight it would be over one way or the other.

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"Stop fidgeting." Morgan said in Reid's ear.

"Stop talking incessantly to me and I will." Reid said through gritted teeth.

"All you have to do is give her the opportunity to put the drugs in your drink." Morgan went on for the tenth time.

"I know!"

"Calm down kid…"

"I'm perfectly aware of what I have to do." Reid said very slowly and firmly.

"Leave him alone Morgan," Hotch said. "He knows what to do."

Reid took his seat at the small table their host had set up for them with a white tablecloth and a couple of burning candles. He played with the cloth napkin until Emily told him that a woman at the host station had asked for him.

"The host is bringing her back." Emily said. "Don't worry Reid, we can hear and see you."

"I'm fine." He assured her. "Let's just get this done."

A minute later, Whitaker led a beautiful African American woman into the room. She was tiny… He judged her at a little over five feet tall. Her long black hair fell in waved over his shoulders. Her skin was the same color as Morgan. Her black eyes didn't smile like her mouth, but he ignored it. All he had to do was get her to put the drug in his drink and it would be over.

He stood up and extended his hand to her. "Hello, I'm Dr. Jason Spencer."

"Hello," she took his hand.

He tried not to grimace at the clammy feel to her skin or her close proximity. She might be small, but she'd tortured and killed four men. He was sure of it now. Alternatively, maybe that was just her eyes that reminded him of a raven.

_Stop freaking out!_

"I must admit I'm surprised by the intimacy of the room." She said as they sat down at the table.

He felt heat rise to his face at the lie he had to tell. "Actually it's my birthday. I don't have any family around to help me celebrate and I didn't want to be alone."

She smiled and this time it reached her eyes. "Happy Birthday. I'll have to let the server in on it. You should have special dessert."

"I don't want anyone to make a fuss." He said truthfully.

"It's not a fuss to have a birthday cake." She said.

"I suppose not… So tell me about yourself." He changed the subject.

She ran the tip of her right forefinger around the edge of her glass. "My mother's from South Africa, but I was born here. My dad was a surgeon. He met my mom in Africa, married her and she came back here with him."

Their server came in and they ordered. She told the server that it was Reid's birthday. The young woman wished him a Happy Birthday and left the room.

"I'm sorry," Reid said. "I need to excuse myself for a minute."

"Don't be too long. I want to hear all about you when you get back."

Reid left the room and headed to the second private room. The small hidden cameras around the room picked up everything Samara did while he was gone. For once Morgan didn't tease him as they watched her drop a couple of tablets into his coffee.

"The dose will let her get you out of here." Emily said. "She could use the excuse that you're sick. The sedative she uses are immediately incapacitating Dr. Singh said.

"I want to go back in with you." Morgan told Hotch.

"No!" Reid protested.

"He can handle it Morgan." Rossi said before Hotch could speak. "Show him some respect."

Reid gave Rossi a grateful look as one of the plain-clothes cops gave him a vest. He strapped it on and followed Hotch back to the room. The arrest ended up very anticlimactic. He put the cuffs on her and read her rights. She didn't speak at all, as they took her out the back.

"I want you to talk to her Reid." Hotch said as they headed to their borrowed SUV.

Reid nodded. "We need a confession." He admitted.

"We can hold her for drugging you, but we need more." Hotch said.

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Reid opened the door to the interrogation room. "Ms Nicosia… My name is Dr. Spencer Reid. I'm an agent of the FBI with the Behavioral Analysis Unit. We're recording this conversation. You've been read your rights and you understand them?"

"Yes… but I don't know why you dragged me in here. I haven't done anything."

"You drugged my coffee. We caught you on tape."

She laughed. "That's entrapment and I want a lawyer."

"You can have a lawyer if you like, but first I should tell you that we searched your home and found your stash of souvenirs."

Samara shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You asked for a lawyer, so we're done here." Reid began to stand.

"Alright, I don't think we have to bring one in just yet." She smirked at him. "You fooled me." She said.

He didn't respond, just watched her.

"I never would have guessed that you're an FBI agent." She flirted.

"Ms Nicosia…"

"See, you're blushing. I didn't think FBI agents could blush."

"Why don't you tell me why you killed those men?" Reid asked.

She sat back in her chair. "Why don't you kiss me Dr Reid? I know you want to."

"I'm not interested in that Ms. Nicosia. I want to know why you used Muti magic to attempt to bring your fiancé back to life."

"You can't bring back the dead." She argued in a harder tone. "You're dreaming." Her eyes began to spark.

"We found personal items of all the men in the basement of your house. You inherited the family home from your father. It's far enough off the main road for you to torture them without anyone hearing you. You had to inflict great pain in order for the magic to work, but it didn't work for you, did it."

She laughed again. "I didn't know the FBI believed in fairy tales. The practice of mutilation and killing people in South Africa is abhorrent to me. I was taught better by my mother."

Reid opened his file. "We found herbs, oils and incantations in your basement. Some of them look handwritten from old records you took from your mother. You tried to cast your own spells, but it didn't work. Your fiancé is dead Samara. You can't bring him back. You killed four men that looked like him because you believe that you have to sacrifice that which you love to make the magic work."

"He shouldn't have died." She said, tears welling up in her eyes. "You shouldn't have died. Why did you go away and leave me."

She rose from her chair and moved around to grab Reid around his collar. "You promised me you'd never leave me alone." She screamed at him.

"Stay back." Reid said as Morgan burst into the room. "I'm okay."

For once, Morgan didn't argue, but he didn't leave the room.

"I'm sorry," Reid, said laying his hands on her face. "I know I promised you I'd never leave, but I was just too tired and weak. I tried to hold on. I really did."

"I need you baby. I love you so much." She sobbed.

"I - I l-love you t-too. I p-promise I'll always be with you."

"I'm so sorry," she said, her eyes clearing a bit. "I did it all for you, baby. It was all for us to be together again."

"I know Samara… I know. It's okay." He stroked her face. "I'll make sure you get help."

"Can I see my mother?" She asked in a very small voice that reminded him of a pleading child.

"I'll try." Reid told her as Morgan and one of the LEOs pulled her away. "I promise."

They led her out of the room. He stared at the door for a long time, then sagged back in his seat and put his hands over his face.


	11. Epilogue

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n here's the last chapter all. Thank you all for your support and Happy Halloween._**

**_Epilogue_**

"What are you thinking about over there?" Garcia asked from her position behind the wheel of Esther.

"It's nothing." Reid answered as he picked at the edge of the long sleeved Jedi robe he wore as his costume.

"I think it's more than nothing." She disagreed. "You know you can talk to me sweet cheeks."

He glanced over at her. She'd put her long red hair up into two pigtails. She wore a cheerleader costume and sapphire blue framed glasses. Her joy of life usually puzzled him in its constancy, but now it blew over him like a wave of warm seawater.

"I was thinking about Samara Nicosia."

"You can't take the blame for what she did. She got lost Reid, lost in grief and pain that I can't imagine. She made the decision to do the awful things she did. You aren't responsible for that, she is."

"I know… you're right." He agreed. "I have all this knowledge about how the human mind works. Samara Nicosia obviously had a breakdown, but that doesn't excuse what she did. She made the decision to kill all those men."

"Put it behind you." Garcia advised as she slowed down and turned into the driveway of a two story, white painted house. "It's time for Henry and trick-or-treating."

He felt a smile edge onto his face. "Yeah… let's do it."

Garcia parked behind JJ's car. They were halfway up the walkway when the door opened and a little boy in a Sponge Bob Square Pants costume toddled out. "Whoa… Hold up there little man." JJ grabbed on to his hand as he tried to go down the stairs to his God Parents. "pence, cia" He said with a big smile on his painted face.

Garcia picked him up. "Who are you…? I don't recognize you at all." She laughed. "You're such a big boy."

Henry laughed. Reid gave him a little wave. "Hey Henry."

"Great costume Spence." JJ laughed. "Just what I would expect from you."

His face got hot. "It's a classic. I like yours too JJ."

Henry's mother did a fast turn in her costume, which consisted of a pair of large golden wings on her back. She wore a gold leotard with matching tights and a pair of antennae on her head. She had gold and black sparkly paint on her face as well.

"Great butterfly," Garcia applauded.

The women laughed as Will came out onto the porch with an orange and black plastic pumpkin in his hand. It had a black handle and a smiling Jack-o-lantern face. "Aye you miserable dogs, I bring Master Henry's pumpkin for his ill gotten booty." Will snarled in a passable pirate voice. He wore a tri corner hat and a patch over one eye.

"Nice costume Will," Garcia gave him the thumbs up.

"I haven't finished with the rest yet." Will said.

"We stocked up on snacks for you guys after little ears go to bed." JJ informed them with a grin.

"Thanks." Reid said.

"Did you get it?" JJ asked Garcia asked.

"It was a piece of cake." Her friend assured her with a wink.

"What did you guys do?" He asked suspiciously.

"Garcia got the number for that anthropologist in Greensboro." JJ said.

"Garcia!"

"You'll thank me." Garcia said confidently. "As soon as we get back here, I'll make sure he calls her."

"Good luck…" Will slapped him on the back.

"Thanks for ganging up on me." Reid complained. "Can we please go now?" He shivered a bit in the cool breeze.

Will got Henry into a jacket over his costume and handed him to Reid. "Come on Henry… Let's go get some candy."

"Reid's like a little kid in some ways." JJ muttered to Garcia as Reid turned for the car.

"I heard that." Reid called back over his shoulder."

"Don't worry…" Garcia assured JJ. "He'll call her or I'll know the reason why not."

JJ watched Will and Spence get Henry into the car seat Will had removed from JJ's car and added to Esther. "Maybe we shouldn't pressure him." JJ said.

Garcia smirked through her crimson lips. "You know as well as I do that he won't make his move without a little pressure."

"Okay… but if this backfires, it's on you." JJ said.

"Don't worry so much JJ… It'll be fine."

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"Hm… Spencer, you've got great hands."

"Really?"

"Yes… This is just what I needed." Susan said.

She lay stretched out on her stomach on her couch with Reid straddling her hips. His hands worked the muscles of her shoulders and back like a concert pianist.

"I'm glad…" He said. "Thank you for not holding a grudge."

"Well… I was mad at you. You did run out on me, but I understand why you did it."

He moved his hands down her back and she sighed. "I'm glad you called me. I was seriously thinking about hiring a private detective and tracking you down."

"You were?" He squeaked.

She shifted and he moved off her to sit on the couch. "Yes… You're the first guy I've been out with that actually understands me when I talk. Your eyes don't glaze over. You actually like what I do. You're hot too."

He blushed. "I'm nothing special."

"You see, you're too good to be true." She leaned in and kissed him.

Her hands curled in his hair and pulled him in close as she could. His heart took off against her chest as their tongues battled together and the kiss flamed hot. His hands stroked her back with a fervor he hadn't shown during his impromptu massage. When her head felt like it might float away from her shoulders from lack of oxygen, she broke off the kiss and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry," he said, going very pink.

"You didn't do anything wrong. I've wanted to do that since the moment I saw you."

"Me too… I just meant that I don't usually kiss like that on the first date."

"It's not our first date." She reminded him.

"Well, not technically I guess. Thanks for taking me on a personal tour of your exhibit the day before it opens."

"You're welcome… Would you like some wine?" She asked getting up from the couch. Her red dress set off her pale skin in a way that made his hands sweat.

"I don't like wine. Can I have some coffee?"

She laughed at his hopeful look. "Sure, why don't we both have some coffee and you can tell me all about your job."

"You've got a deal. Do you mind if I make a quick call while you make the coffee. I need to check up on someone."

Susan kissed his cheek. "Of course…Is everything alright?"

"Yes…"

"I'll meet you in the kitchen." Susan winked at him.

"Thanks…"

He waited till she was out of the room to pull out his phone and dial the number Garcia had tracked down for him a few days ago. "Hello Ms LaSalle… This is Spencer Reid… I just wanted to see how you're doing…"

_**THE END**_


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